Sarah Paulson, Paris Hilton, and Alan Cumming Celebrate Fashion Week at Saks’s L’Avenue

After hosting The Daily Front Row’s Fashion Media Awards on Thursday night, Alan Cumming made his way to a party where he was unexpectedly being fêted. In a corner at L’Avenue, the bar and restaurant on the ninth floor of the Saks Fifth Avenue flagship, Cumming was stopped for selfies by fans, including one who noted that the actor’s role as a villain in Spy Kids made him a millennial icon. Wearing a jauntily cut gray wool Todd Snyder suit, Cumming chatted with his husband, Grant Shaffer, and they both relished the fact that they were far from their nature-bound abode in the Catskills.  

“In a situation like this—you’re figuring out, do you wear a mask and things like that,” he said. “I just feel like everyone is diving in.” 

Cumming did see a few different benefits of pandemic living, however. “For so many people, you’ve never spent that much time with your partner, and I’ve always wanted to spend more time with my partner,” he said. “Now I see my future as a recluse—a weird, eccentric recluse—and I think this has been good training.” 

Saks opened the doors to L’Avenue to celebrate the triumphant 2021 edition of New York Fashion Week and honor Sarah Paulson, the cover star of the legacy department store’s fall fashion book. In a black-and-white striped sweater and white full skirt, Paulson cut a very different figure than she did in this week’s premiere of Impeachment: American Crime Story, where she showed off the highlights of ’90s power-dressing in her role as Linda Tripp.

“I have come to trust myself when it comes to fashion and my own personal style,” the actor said. “I have gone in my closet lately, with the idea that we’re going back out into the world, and feel so surprised that I have things that I really want to wear and feel very much me. I like looking at my closet and seeing a story—and seeing me.”

Featuring a brief performance by singer Kim Petras, the night drew a number of Gen Z’ers in bold colors and sequins, but the biggest attraction was a DJ set by Paris Hilton, who bounced effortlessly between The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights,” Icona Pop’s “I Love It,”  Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” and Journey’s late-night classic, “Don’t Stop Believin’.” She was joined by her sister, Nicky, in the DJ booth, and the pair showed just as much enthusiasm for the music as the amassed crowd on the illuminated dance floor.

A smiling James Harden showed up just as Hilton began her set, bedecked in a white T-shirt and a bright orange moto jacket by Dior, and Monse’s Fernando Garcia appeared a few hours after showing the brand’s newest collection at a skate park. Rapper G-Eazy made a brief stop onstage in front of a crowd that included Tommy Dorfman, Charli XCX, Amelia Hamlin, and YouTube stars Bretman Rock and Nikita Dragun.

Comedian and actor Kumail Nanjiani, who is also starring in Saks’s fall campaign, posed alongside cohosts Paulson and Saks CEO Marc Metrick. Less than two months out from the release of Eternals, the Chloé Zhao–helmed Marvel movie he famously bulked up for, he reflected on how his participation in the film helped him break out of his usual roles in film and TV.

“It’s very exciting, but I also think, Is this real? It’s been a long time coming, no one has seen anything from it, and there are so many more pressing things going on in the world. So when the trailer came out, I felt like it became real and it was the start of a return to normalcy,” he said. “For a long time all I was able to play was the weird, nerdy, funny guy. I made a decision to figure out how to be a part of every kind of movie and TV show I enjoy, like drama, etc. It comes from wanting to be a part of the types of series and genres that I love.” 

Near the end of the night, Paulson joined Hilton in the DJ booth, and they both bounced to the Kygo and Whitney Houston version of “Higher Love.” Paulson said that she enjoyed working with the “wonderful” Monica Lewinsky. “She’s a very smart, wise, soulful woman who I feel really honored to know and call a friend,” she added. 

The actor also reflected on the wave of success she’s experienced over the last few years. “If I had had the success I’m having now in my 20s or 30s, I don’t think it would have lasted, and I don’t think I would have been ready. I believe you meet the moment when you’re ready to meet the moment,” she said. “If you’ve accomplished something you’re proud of, you should be walking around with a great sense of accomplishment and a good feeling about yourself. We should be celebrating that in other people, particularly women. Be overconfident! Being overly confident will allow you to make big leaps.”

— Natalie Portman on Britney Spears and the Scent of Love
— Behind Queen Elizabeth’s Surprising Wit
— Are the Literary Jonathans Still Relevant?
— The True Story of a Hollywood Partnership Built and Destroyed by Money, Sex, and Celebrity
— The Best Shampoo Bars to Lighten 2021’s Environmental Load
— Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez Make the Most of Summer’s End
— The Most Influential Pop-Rock Band Ever? The Monkees!
— Prince William and Kate Middleton’s “Normal” Parenting Tips
— From the Archive: Meet the Women Who Domesticated the Rolling Stones
— Sign up for “The Buyline” to receive a curated list of fashion, books, and beauty buys in one weekly newsletter.